American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers BeachEnglewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
FORT MYERS BEACH American Sand Sculpting Competition returns to Fort Myers Beach After a year’s long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
ENGLEWOOD Englewood nonprofit gives hope to residents amid hurricane recovery Many people in Charlotte County were hit hard by storms this hurricane season, but that won’t stop them from giving back to their community.
NAPLES CSN’s Jayvian Tanelus and offensive line erupt in round one Community School of Naples’ offensive line and Jayvian Tanelus put on a show in round one of the playoffs earning them player of the week.
CAPE CORAL Cape Coral family opens home up for the holidays A Cape Coral family has gotten over 1,000 interactions on a Facebook post after opening up their home for the holidays.
SANIBEL Sanibel police trained and certified to catch alligators by FWC Pinning an apex predator down with little more than bare hands and tape: That’s what the Sanibel Police Department went through during alligator-catching certification training.
Southwest Florida welcomes first proton beam therapy center This is a big week in cancer care for patients in Southwest Florida and beyond.
PUNTA GORDA Whats next after Punta Gorda city manager’s resignation? Punta Gorda city manager Greg Murray said he resigned Monday but told the council on Wednesday. Now, Melissa Reichert is the interim city manager.
FORT MYERS BEACH 34th annual American Sand Sculpting Championship begins on Fort Myers Beach After a years long wait, the American Sand Sculpting Competition on Fort Myers Beach returned on Thursday.
CAPE CORAL City council members talk about decision to repeal stipend ordinance A vote of 5 to 3 ends the saga over the Cape Coral City Council stipend and new members of the city council are sending a message they’re doing things differently.
FORT MYERS Fort Myers food pantry provides Thanksgiving meals to neighbors Dozens of people stopped by Sunshine Health’s food pantry one week before Thanksgiving. Sunshine Health is delivering hope.
FORT MYERS BEACH Fort Myers Beach loses FEMA insurance discount The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has placed Fort Myers Beach (FMB) on probation.
FORT MYERS WINK News Game of the Week: Riverdale at Fort Myers Our WINK News Game of the Week is the regional semifinal matchup between Fort Myers and Riverdale, a rematch from the regular season finale two weeks ago.
NAPLES Hope for the Holidays turkey distribution event in Collier County A Naples nonprofit is expected to feed nearly 2,000 families.
Parts of Lee County to keep FEMA discount According to the Lee County Government, residents in parts of Lee County will keep their FEMA discount.
New blue-light system to be implemented to flag red-light runners Green means go, red means stop and blue means you just ran a red light.
Florida panther CREDIT WINK News For the 13th time in 2023, an endangered Florida panther was struck and killed by a vehicle. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Panther Pulse, a 5-year-old male panther, identified as UCFP449, was struck by a vehicle on U.S. Highway 27, south of State Road 17 in Glades County on Sunday. Panthers out in wild. CREDIT: WINK News. November has been the deadliest month for the Florida panther in 2023. Dead panthers were discovered on Nov. 6 and 7. Then, two dead panthers were found on the same day on Nov. 12. This is the fifth dead panther discovered in November. No other month this year has had more than two deaths reported. Until Sept. 17, there were seven Florida panther deaths in 2023. Since then, six more dead panthers were discovered in a period of less than three months. Still image of a female Florida panther captured on FWC video surveillance in Charlotte County. Experts believe she likely lives in the are; although, it is uncommon for Florida panthers to be spotted north of the Caloosahatchee River. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Vehicle collisions have been the reported cause of every Florida panther death recorded by FWC in 2023. This could be the first year since Panther Pulse records began in 2014 that every reported death has been unnatural: caused by vehicle collisions. RELATED: 2 dead endangered Florida panthers found on the same day, first time since 2021 RELATED: 3-month-old Florida panther dies from car crash in Collier County Florida Panther Deaths Below is the amount of dead Florida panthers that were found in specific counties in 2023. Glades County – 2 Hendry County – 3 Collier County – 8 Seven of the 13 dead pathers discovered were males. Despite the low total number of deaths reported, it’s unclear to experts if this is a concerning trend. Cimarron, the Florida Panther at the Shy Wolf Sanctuary. CREDIT: Paul Dolan At five years old, this latest panther death may be of the oldest dead Florida panther discovered this year. Interestingly, on Nov. 7, a dead female panther was found in Glades County between 3 and 5 years old, too. While most panther sightings are in Collier County, the two oldest dead panthers discovered in 2023 may have been in Glades County. Deadliest Florida Panther Months Below is a list of any month with five or more Florida panther deaths since 2014, with April 2016 marking the deadliest of all months. November 2023 – five deaths May 2022 – six deaths January 2022 – five deaths January 2020 – six deaths November 2019 – five deaths October 2018 – five deaths February 2018 – seven deaths October 2016 – five deaths April 2016 – nine deaths February 2016 – five deaths December 2015 – six deaths July 2015 – five deaths March 2015 – five deaths January 2015 – five deaths December 2014 – six deaths August 2014 – five deaths April 2014 – five deaths Helping Endangered Florida Panthers Panther Crossing is an organization efforting Florida panther safety on the roads. When you see a Panther Crossing sign on the road drivers should reduce their speed to 45 mph. Driving 45 mph should give motorists more time to react should they see a panther on the road. Panther Crossing sign as a reminder to drive 45 mph is designated zones. CREDIT: WINK News In a three-mile-long panther crossing zone, reducing your speed from 60 to 45 mph only adds a minute to your commute. Those 60 seconds added to your drive could mean a lifetime for any panther. RELATED: Florida Panther Conservation: Protecting the State Animal of Florida Getting a panther plate from The Florida Panther Research and Management Trust Fund is another way to help the endangered species. The license plate costs $25 annually, and every dollar goes to helping the endangered species. You can also directly donate to the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida’s Florida Panther Fund. Click here to learn more about the Florida Panther Fund. Click here to learn more from FWC about living with Florida panthers and ways to help protect them. There were 27 reported Florida panther deaths in 2022, 2021, and 2019. There were 22 reported deaths in 2020. FWC says there are between 120 and 230 adult Florida panthers left in the wild.